Commissioners meet with lawyer about ethics

Board of Public Utilities gathered for two hours behind closed doors

Norwich — The Board of Public Utilities Commissioners met for two hours behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss ethics violations found against two top utility administrators and two former board members.

The commission has hired attorney Anthony Palermino of Newington to review the ethics violations and recommendations by the city Ethics Commission following findings that the four officials violated the city ethics code by participating in lavish trips to the Kentucky Derby hosted by the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative.

The Ethics Commission recommended that Norwich Public Utilities General Manager John Bilda and NPU Division Manager Steve Sinko should reimburse the city the entire estimated $15,510 cost of the 2016 trip to the Kentucky Derby for themselves and their spouses. The report also recommended the NPU leaders be placed on strict travel oversight by the commission for two years.

The commission recommended former commission Chairwoman Dee Boisclair and former Vice Chairman Robert Groner reimburse the city for 25 percent of the cost of the trips for themselves and their spouses, $3,877 each. The former commissioners resigned on the eve of a City Council investigation into the controversial trips.

Mayor Deberey Hinchey, who also was among the 44 people from across the state who attended the 2016 Kentucky Derby trip, also was found in violation of the city ethics code, and to date is the only city official who has reimbursed the city for the recommended 25 percent of the cost of her trip, $1,945.

Palermino, who specializes in labor law, human resources, administrative and government matters, is a past commissioner of the former state Department of Public Utility Control, and served for eight years as a Democratic state representative in the 1980s. According to a 2005 story in the Hartford Courant on his appointment to the DPUC commission, Palermino also had a

lobbying firm and served as the labor attorney for the Metropolitan District Commission in Hartford. The MDC now is a contract customer of CMEEC, which manages the MDC’s electricity sales from its hydropower facility.

Commission Chairwoman Grace Jones released a statement saying the five utilities commission members Tuesday were asked to “listen to the presentation very closely, to reflect on Mr. Palermino’s suggestions, and to be prepared to discuss how we might move forward at the next NPU board meeting.”

The commission took no action following the two-hour session Tuesday and its next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at NPU headquarters, 16 S. Golden St.

The statement released Wednesday said the board will not have any further comment on this matter until after the Sept. 26 meeting.